Another Journey
by Riikani
Summary: What comes after the battle is over and the wars are fought. Vin likes to think it is not the end.


_It's been ages since I've read this trilogy, and in this story I do ignore the fourth book: it is on my shelf, but I haven't read it yet. I had this laying around. Time to share!_

_I do not own the Mistborn Trilogy. I like to think my mind isn't this twisty._

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Another Journey

Was it possible to be peaceful after you have fought a force like Ruin?

Vin thought so. She was aware of the fact that she was dead, but she could not bring herself to care about it. Maybe she was not meant to be alive after all. She honestly doubted she had been meant to survive this battle, even if she had won.

She was preservation.

Yet there was a slight numb pain.

Elend.

She had seen how his head had been cut off. He was definitely dead. And now that she was in the nothingness, that stayed after her battle. She felt the knowledge of it burn her slightly. She was not sad; she was not allowed to be since Elend died over a year ago. The man he was, who he had become was merely an extension of his life.

That thought comforted her. He still was the slightly naïve scholar that she had met a long time at a ball in the house Venture and that she had come to love. How long ago had that been? Vin knew that it had only been a few years since she had been Valette Renaux. It was a fake life: a thieving firl pretending to be a lord's cousin and the Lord had been a Kandra.

Ore-seur. She was not angry at him anymore for taking Kelsier's body. Now she knew it was all meant to be. The real friendship had been with the only Kandra she had known, Ten-soon. He had pretended to be Ore-seur, but she still had formed a friendship with him. She wished she could say he was at a better place now, but she would be lying. Ten-soon, and of course all the other Kandra, were now gone. Not dead, just gone. Back to the mist-wraiths that they were. Any idea of self, gone.

She felt someone tap her presence and she smiled. It was now time for the real Hero of Ages. So she let go of the power and felt her presence in this nothingness disappear. Sazed would make good use of it. She watched him, no more than a force himself, put space in the right place around the sun. He shaped the earth, made the sky blue and the grass green.

Vin laughed as she saw the color of the flowers, blue, red, yellow: he had always been a dreamer and most of all: a believer.

Then, she felt him pull her presence. She resisted and then she could see him. The real facts were unclear to her, and she was sure her dear husband would love to break his head over it: she had no body or eyes, seeing should be impossible.

"Won't you go back to life?" Sazed asked. Truth to his worth, Vin saw hers and Elend's body laying in the grass, and for a moment she was tempted if only to feel how the green would feel.

"No," another presence added. Vin had not noticed him, but she thought it would only make sense to have Elend with her. Reviving her and not Elend would not be right in the eyes of the one that had married them.

"Why not?" Sazed asked, waving at their recreated bodies. She felt her essence gather and she suspected that he would find it awkward talking to something he could not see, much like herself. Her now gathered spirit was able to grasp Elend's hand as he was as much of a spirit as she was. For that fact she was grateful.

"Our time is over, Sazed," Vin replied to his previous question.

Sazed looked as if he could not grasp what she was hinting at. "Vin has never known how to live in peace and has always been a weapon. I, myself, am glad I have no responsibilities anymore," Elend said smiling. Vin knew that was true: as a thieving Skaa she had always known how to fight, then as a mistborn, she was both Kelsier's weapon as that of the Kingdom.

Then she sighed and caressed Elend's cheek lightly, "If I know Elend, and I'd say that I do, I can safely say that the guilt over sacrificing lives, necessary as it had been, but wasting all the same, outweighs any want to be alive again," she said.

Sazed did not reply and Elend smiled at him again. "I don't want to be an emperor or king again, Sazed. Not when they have you as a God," he said.

Vin looked at the newly created world and smiled tenderly, "And I do think that our part is done now. It is time for Spook, to prove himself now."

Elend, seeing Sazed doubt, rested his hand on the man's shoulder. Amused, Vin saw sparks fly and noted that Sazed really was holding all that power, too much as it had been for her, but correct in him. "You know as much as I do, that he is very capable," he said.

Sazed nodded slowly, "So you are absolutely sure?" he asked.

Elend walked back to Vin, "I am," he answered as he wound his arms around his wife. To Vin, simply this felt exhilarating. He touched the spirit directly now and Vin felt content, truly content.

"And you, Vin?" Sazed asked.

Vin shook her head and leaned back into her husband's chest. "You know that, Sazed. I go where Elend goes."

"Well, isn't this the sweetest scene!"

Sazed smiled, "Master Kelsier, it is good to see you. I had been wondering when you would come here."

The newly appeared form of Kelsier scoffed, "You are divine now, Terrisman! I am hardly your master anymore!"

A ghost of a smile played around Sazed's lips. "Old habits die hard," was the only answer.

Kelsier's lips quirked up and he laughed shortly: "That is the Sazed I know," he said. And then he sighed, "She is proud of you, you know," he said softly.

Sazed's eyes glanced over, "Yes, I know." The name went unspoken. Between these two there was no reason to say it.

Then Kelsier laughed. "Say, you wouldn't do me a favor now?" he grinned.

Sazed quirked a brow: "I can see what I can do." It was an invitation to continue.

"Make a mistborn of Spook," Kelsier continued deadly serious. "I'd say he has lived long enough in our shadows."

Sazed smiled, "And here I thought you were going to ask something like getting to live again," he said good-naturedly.

Kelsier smiled faintly, "I have a whole church dedicated to me. I don't think I have anything to live for now." He blinked and Vin could swear she saw tears in his eyes. "Besides, Mag is waiting for me."

His lips were thin when Sazed addressed his next question, "And Marsh?" he asked. Vin felt her stomach twist. She knew now what Kelsier's brother had gone through, what hell he lived in and what he would never get back. There was no peace for him as well. She doubted he knew much of who he was right now. The damage Ruin had done in his whispers would take a long time to heal.

Kelsier closed his eyes. "I don't have any right to decide on his life. On the shadow of his life. At least, he should decide on that for himself."

Vin knew that Sazed would not pull Marsh from life now. Only when the man decided himself he'd go, he'd go. He would become the horror mothers would tell their children about. The face people might give death: Vin would say his fate was worse. Hemalurgy was something that she'd wish to no-one.

The Terrisman nodded, "Then I do as you all wish," he said. Uncharacteristically he winked at Vin and Elend, "I can't guarantee you won't be worshipped. In fact, I think Spook is going to build some ridiculously big memento to you two," he condessed.

Elend laughed, "Unnecessary, but if he wants to, I am hardly able to stop him," he said.

Sazed smiled and then his projection disappeared: it went up into the universe. "Well, you don't see that every day," Kelsier deadpanned. Then he looked at Vin: "Hard to believe that boyish thieving girl became an empress," he remarked, scanning her over. "You've grown." Before Vin had time to retort he turned to Elend, "And you, Elend Venture, displeased me in many ways," he said.

Vin wanted to come to Elend's defense but he shook his head. Apparently he wanted to deal with this himself, although he visibly swallowed. "Stupid, male pride," she muttered. Despite that he could not get a title higher than his, Elend was still somewhat frightened by the Mistborn that taught his wife.

"You, a noble from the most prominent house took the throne, made yourself a false believer of my church, sacrificed a many man and made yourself a Mistborn," Kelsier continued. "Besides that, you made my little Vin fall for you and dragged her into your schemes."

Elend stepped up, "While I do not deny those accusations, I won't stand by as you drag Vin into this," he said. Vin really thought it somewhat unfair too, as Kelsier had done many of those things as well: Kelsier had been really good at scheming.

But Kelsier raised a hand: "I am grateful you did, Elend. I didn't trust you, but you proved me wrong. Inexperienced as you were, you tried to manage an empire and you did well. You only wanted what's best for your people, even if they were Skaa." He glanced at Vin. "Make her happy in what comes next, Elend. She deserves it," he said.

Elend nodded, "I will," he replied. Vin watched the two bond at that strange way and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Goodbye, Elend, Vin," Kelsier said as he too disappeared at that very strange way like Sazed.

Vin turned to Elend, "Will we be keeping an eye on them?" she asked as she waved her hand at a scene of Spook finding their bodies and seemingly grieving it through a smile.

Elend smiled and shook his head. "I have finally all to only myself now, and I am going to enjoy that into the afterlife," he said with a lips forming a smirk at the end. Vin rolled her eyes this time and then smiled up at her husband.

_They'll be alright now_, she thought and disappeared with her husband into the nothingness, on to the next adventure.

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_Did anyone else find it frustrating there were so many storylines kept open? No? Just me then. Ok. Drop me a review ok? Even for this story that is about 3,5 years old (I wrote it at the end of May 2011 I know for sure, because I had my high school exams then)_


End file.
